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Teen Hides From Intruders
Location: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Date: July 9, 1993 Story Around 7am on July 9, 1993, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Ruth Kerr headed to work, leaving her daughter, Sharon, home alone for only the third or fourth time. "It was an unusual situation, but she was 13. So she thought that she could be on her own at home okay," remembers Ruth. Around 2pm, Sharon suddenly heard someone persistently knocking on the door and repeatedly ringing the doorbell. In the middle of all this commotion, the family dog, Courtney, was barking a lot. When Sharon went to the door, she saw a guy and girl who she didn’t recognize. The knocking and ringing continued for a few minutes. Then, assuming there was nobody home, they kicked the door down. Sharon frantically grabbed the cordless phone, ran into her bedroom, and called 911. As she talked on the phone, Sharon hid beside her water bed. The call was answered by RCMP Communications operator Jaqui Spoor. "They’re those heart-stopping seconds, when you know something is really wrong. Her little voice was reaching out for someone and there’s no time for anything except to reach back into that phone and tell her you’re there," said Spoor. Sharon explained that she didn’t know who the intruders were and while talking to Spoor she had to keep her voice down to a whisper so they wouldn’t hear her. "She was petrified needed to be protected. At that point, she was like one of my own children crying out for help," remembers Spoor. Spoor assured Sharon in a calm voice that she would stay on the line with her. "If they saw her and went for her, I didn’t know if she could actually run and get away. I didn’t know if she was going to be badly hurt or even killed," recalls Spoor. When she asked if there was one intruder, Spoor heard Sharon say that there were two. "Something was changing in the room, the dog was suddenly barking a lot," said Spoor. Spoor then told Sharon to ignore Courtney, but she couldn’t answer as the barking made her freeze in her tracks. "In my mind, she was frozen, and she was in shock. I was very very worried," remembers Spoor. When Spoor asked Sharon where the intruders were, she, scared out of her mind, told her they were in the room with her. Spoor told her to stay still and not say anything. "I was shocked. They were in the room with her. I heard people being beaten on the phone. I know what that sounds like and what it feels like inside, and I didn’t need this happening to that little girl," said Spoor. Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable Mike Lavity was among those responding to the call. "We’re within a couple of minutes. What if they find the girl hiding at this point? Do we have a hostage situation?" said Lavity. Spoor was still talking to Sharon on the phone, and asked her why she thought the intruders saw her. She assured her that they didn’t know she was on the phone and that she didn’t see any weapons. "I’m very torn. I need to know what our officers are up against when they reach the scene. But the problem with asking questions is, she’s going to answer them and possibly give herself away," said Spoor. Spoor assured Sharon that the police had arrived at her house and told her not to move, so the suspects wouldn’t see her. "I observed one of the culprits walking towards their vehicle. It was full of stolen property. Her associate was at the door, and as soon as he saw us coming, he went running back through the house," remembers Lavity. He and his partner ran after the two criminals and proceeded to handcuff them. "I saw the same fellow trying to act nonchalant, as though he had nothing to do with what had just transpired," said Lavity. "What did I do? What did I do?" asked the intruder. "You’re under arrest for breaking and entering and theft!" said Lavity. His partner explained that he knew the female suspect, who had a reputation for violent tendencies for some time, and that she was known as "War Bitch" on the streets. Sharon’s father, Len Kerr, rushed home from work as soon as he was notified. "When you see so many police cars and RCMP officers, you would think the worst! Sharon was coming down the stairs, and when she saw me, I ran to her and hugged her for a long time," said Len. Ruth arrived soon after. "Sharon was white as a sheet, she was very shocked. She just kept saying to me, 'Should I have answered the door, Mom?,' and I said, 'No. You did the right thing,'" said Ruth. The two suspects subsequently pleaded guilty to breaking, entering, and theft and were sentenced to prison. Two years had passed since the incident. "I was really scared. I didn’t know if I was gonna see my parents again. It was really amazing that they didn’t see me, they were so close," said Sharon. She got the chance to meet Spoor and thank her for being there when she needed help. "She was there for my daughter when I couldn’t be there. I love you, Jaqui, you did a great job!" exclaimed Ruth. Spoor also got to say hi to Courtney. "She also helped save Sharon’s life," remembers Jaqui. "I couldn’t get under the bed because it’s a water bed. So I just lay beside it and hid the phone," recalls Sharon. Spoor explained that Courtney camouflaged Sharon. "She’s a barky, yappy dog. So the intruders focused on her and they forgot that there could be people around," said Spoor. "She is a nervous wreck. If anybody rattles the mailbox or rings the doorbell, she just about has a heart attack!" said Len with a smile. Spoor explains that Sharon did a ten and that she’d saved her life in many ways, picking up the phone, calling 911, reaching out with her voice, stopping, and listening to her instructions. "She did a wonderful job!" said Spoor. Category:1993 Category:Canada Category:Robberies Category:Crimes